Walking

Here with you step by step

Walking small steps for a big difference

Gentle, low impact and free. Walking is a great form of exercise that’s suitable for all ages. The benefits of this simple activity are often overlooked, but adding walking to your day is proven to strengthen your heart, keep weight in check and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Walking can easily be added to most people’s days, offering a free form of exercise with very little required in terms of warm up or equipment, meaning you can get going anytime! Very simple changes such as getting off the bus a stop earlier or going for a brisk walk at lunch time will see you greatly improve your overall health if continued on a regular basis.

Consider your daily routine and try to think of some journeys where you could walk instead or even just some spare time that you could use to get out, clear your head and add in some extra steps.

Getting Started

A fitter you, starts with your feet

It's great to see that you’re interested in increasing the steps you take. Here you can find everything you need to get going and stay motivated.

Equipment and clothing

The great thing about walking is that you don't really need anything to get started! However, a good pair of trainers will help make your walk pain free and encourage you to keep going for that little bit longer. If you move on to longer walks or hikes into the countryside, you may want to invest in some walking boots and a waterproof jacket

Find a walking route

The best route on foot is not always the same as you would take by car. And, you have the choice of taking the fastest route or something a little more relaxing. So, make sure your walk is exactly how you were hoping by entering your start and end points onto the Walkit.com journey planner, and keep track of progress by downloading their free app.

Setting out

Although a relatively easy form of exercise, it can be beneficial to do a light stretch before setting out to limber up and again when you’ve finished to cool down. To get the health benefits from walking, you’ll need to be walking at a moderate intensity, meaning you should feel your heart going a little faster. It's best if you listen to your body and start off slowly, then build up your pace and distance gradually. If you’re unsure as to how much to push yourself, speak to your GP.

Staying motivated

Just keep up the good work and make walking a habit!

Plan your route

Whether it's for work, school or just for your own enjoyment, there are a whole host of resources out there to help you plan your journey and keep track of your progress.

Walkit is a free-to-use website and app that’s perfect for planning walking routes in the West Midlands. Once you've entered your start and end point, it will generate:

An optimised route based on whether you prefer the quick or less busy option

A plotted out map

A set of written turn-by-turn directions

An estimated walking time

Journey distance

Calories burnt

An estimated carbon saving

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